Machine for operating upon the end portions of shoes



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Mwmh 3E; 'MEQ. 1 g, CANTLEY MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON THE END PORTIONS OF S HOES Filed May 15, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

Mawclm E511 lggfin I J QANTLEY Zflfifififiwi? MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON THE END PORTIONS OF SHOES Filed May 15, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m/mfmz 0 E /ga a/w/lf Patented Mar. 31, 1936 lED STATES PATENT OFFICE Joseph Clifiord Cantley, to United Shoe Machi son, N. J., a corporati Beverly, Mass, assignor nery Corporation, Pateron of New Jersey Application May 15, 1935, Serial No. 21,597

8 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for operating upon the end portions of shoes and is illustrated as embodied in a machine for working the foreparts of stitchdown shoe uppers into lasted position and for pressing the outturned flanges thereof against the projecting margins of the soles.

Objects of the invention are to improve and perfect the operation of machines of this type 10- such, for example, as that disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,955,730 granted April 24, 1934, in the name of William C. Baxter. More specifically, an object of the invention is to prevent the upper from bridging between the toe and the throat of the vamp during the operation of the machine.

Accordingly, a feature of my invention consists in means such as a toe pad or clamp arranged to be operated prior to the operation of the machine upon a shoe for holding the upper tightly against the last between the end of the toe and the throat of the vamp during the operation of the machine so that, after the operation is completed, there will be no tendency of the upper 25 to spring away from the last and bridge across the curved space between the toe of the shoe and the throat of the vamp. Preferably and as illustrated, the machine comprises end-embracing means such as wipers and a support for the forepart of the shoe bottom including the projecting margin of the sole, said means and support being relatively power operated to effect the upper tensioning operation, with upper clamping means operable prior to said relative movement between the wipers and the shoe support for clamping the upper against the last. As illustrated, the shoe support is moved relatively to the wipers under control of a treadle, which treadle is connected to 40 the upper clamp to cause it to be brought firmly against the upper prior to the operation of the shoe support. Means is provided for releasing the upper clamp after the upper tensioning operation has been completed and this may, in one embodiment of the invention, comprise a lock for holding the clamp in operative position and a cam on the machine for releasing the look after the wipers have been operated, preferably the same cam being utilized to operate the wipers and 50 then to release the lock.

Two species of applicants generic invention are disclosed herein. Claims specific to the second form of the invention are not made herein but are being made in an application for Letters Patent of the United States Serial No. 21,631

filed of even date herewith in the name of F. J. Better.

These and other features of the invention will appear more fully from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. l is a side elevation, partly in section, of a machine embodying the present invention;

Figs. Zand 3 are sectional details of parts shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detail plan View, of parts shown inFig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 1 showing a 15 modification of the invention.

The general organization of the machine is similar to that disclosed in the patent above-mentioned and hence its construction will be described rather generally since reference may be 0 had to said patent for explanation of structural details not herein fully set forth.

A frame It) carries bearings for a main shaft l2 upon which is mounted a clutch disk I4 having a cam track l6 in one face thereof. A stop projection 20 onthe clutch disk is arranged to engage a stop arm 22 which is pivotal- 1y mounted upon a shaft 24 supported on the frame of the machine and has a forwardly projecting arm which carries a tripping pin 26. The pin 26 is slabbed off at its front side and coopcrates with a vertical bar 28 having an elongated notch 30 which engages the tripping pin 26. The bar 28 is connected to a treadle 32 and when partly in section,

the treadle is depressed the upper end of the 35.

notch 30 will, after a certain amount of lost motion, engage the pin 26 and, by lifting the stop arm 22 from engagement with the projection 20, will permit the clutch to engage and the machine to start. After the machine starts, the bar 28 is pushed forwardly by a projection on theperiphery of the clutch disk M to free the notch 30 from the pin 26, thus allowing the stop arm 22 to drop back into position and, after a half revolution of the clutch disk I4, to engage a projection 34 opposite to the projection 2|], thereby stopping the machine with the outwardly projecting margins of the upper and sole under pressure between the wipers and the shoe support, as will be described. The clutch operates to connect the clutch disk- I4 to a gear 36 and to disconnect it therefrom, the gear 36 being continuously driven through reducing gearing by a motor 38. The clutch mechanism employed may be similar to that disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,674,085 granted June 19, 1928, upon an application of Ballard and Seely, to which reference may be had for further explanation of that part of the machine.

The shoe support comprises a plate 40 shaped like the forepart of the bottom of a shoe and large enough to support the forepart of the shoe bottom including the outwardly projecting margin of the sole. The plate 40 is secured to a block 42 mounted upon the upper end of a shaft 46 which is arranged for longitudinal movement in an elongated bearing extending upwardly and rearwardly at a slight inclination to the vertical and formed in the frame I0 of the machine. The shaft 40, together with the block 42 and shoe support 40, is arranged to be moved upwardly by power of the machine and for this purpose it is connected at its lower end to toggle links 52, 54. The upper toggle link 52 is pivotally connected to a sliding block 48 which is freely movable in a slot in the lower end of the shaft 46, being prevented from displacement by a strap 50 extending about the lower end of the shaft. The toggle links 52, 54 are operated by a cam bar 56 which is forked to embrace a collar on the main shaft I2 and is provided with a cam roll 58 running in the cam track I6 formed in the clutch disk 14. The lower end of the toggle link 54 is supported by an adjustable abutment 60 which is upheld by a heavy spring, as more fully disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,861,832, granted June 7, 1932, on application of W. C. Baxter.

The initial heightwise position of the shoe support 40 is determined by a stop screw 62 projecting downwardly from a bracket 64 which is formed as part of the block 42 on which the support 40 rests, the said screw being arranged to engage the frame I0 when the support 40 is in its lowest position. The lost motion provided for the block 48 in the lower end of the shaft 46 permits initial heightwise adjustment of the support 40 by means of the screw 62 and also permits adjustment of the abutment 60 to vary the final pressure which will be exerted on the shoe parts when the toggle 52, 54 is straightened.

An abutment 66 for the rear end of the shoe is provided which may be initially set at a short distance from the rear end of the shoe to permit ready insertion of shoes of the size being operated upon and which, by depression of the treadle 32, is moved to engage the shoe and is held against the shoe at first by the treadle and later by power operation of the machine, the construction and operation of this portion of the machine being fully disclosed in the Baxter Patent No. 1,955,730 referred to above.

The machine is provided with end-embracing means or wipers 10 which preferably, as disclosed in the last-mentioned patent, are vertically stationary and are arranged for advancing and closing movement. Two means for advancing and closing the wipers are provided, the first means being a hand-wheel 12 by which the wipers may be advanced and closed to correspond to the size and shape of the toe end of the last of the shoe being operated upon and the second means being power operated to advance and close the wipers positively a predetermined amount. This amount is determined by the setting of a screw 14 in a lever 16 pivoted to the machine frame at T8 and carrying at its lower end a roll which is operated by an edge cam 8I on the clutch disk I4. The cam has a projection 83 to cause the wipers, after the shoe support 40 has been raised so that the wipers are substantially in the plane of the last bottom, to advance and close a predetermined amount and tuck the upper under the edge of the last bottom. The wipers and the mechanism for imparting advancing and closing movements to them may be as disclosed in the above-mentioned patent to Baxter No. 1,955,730.

The machine is preferably, though not necessarily, provided with a plurality of pairs of pincer jaws 82, a pair being located at each corner of the toe and at each side of the toe and below the wipers in position to engage the outspread margin of the upper when the shoe is introduced into the machine. The construction and operation of such pincers are fully disclosed in the Baxter Patent No. 1,955,730 above mentioned. The initial closing movement of the pincers is effected by depression of the treadle 32 which is connected by a rod 84 to a lever 86 fulcrumed on the lower portion of the shaft 46 at 88 and having also a lost-motion connection to links 90 by a pin 92 to which the fulcrum may shift when the shaft 46 is operated by power. The rear end of the lever 86 is connected through springs 94 to the lower jaws of the pincers 82 so that when the treadle is depressed the pincer jaws will be closed upon the work at the same time that the abutment 66 is brought into engagement with the shoe. As in the prior construction, it is desirable to withdraw the pincer jaws from between the wipers I0 and work support 40 before they become pinched therebetween by the upward pressure of the support. This is iffected by a lever 96 pivoted at 18 and having on its lower arm a roll 98 engaging an edge cam I00 on the shaft I2 and having its upper arm connected by a link I62 to the mechanism by which the pincers are carried. The cam I00 is operated to swing the lever 96 counterclockwise to effect bodily withdrawal of the corner pincers and rotation of the side pincers to carry them away from the shoe at a time to avoid the pincers being caught between the wipers I0 and the work support 40. Since the construction and mounting of the pincers is clearly disclosed in the last-mentioned patent, it is not necessary to present further details of the construction. The present machine, however, is provided with means for holding the pincers in an inoperative position when it is desired to dispense with their operation. In front of the upper arm of the lever 96 is a hand lever I04 secured to a rockshaft I06 journaled in a bracket I08 fastened to the machine frame. On the rockshaft I06 is a rearwardly projecting plate I I0 which, when the lever I04 is swung rearward- 1y, is brought into position to prevent clockwise movement of the lever 96 and hence a spring II2 connected between the levers I6 and 96 which normally tends to swing the lever 96 clockwise to restore the pincers to operative position is rendered ineffective and the pincers remain in inoperative position until the lever I04 is thrown forward again.

It is desirable, in conjunction with the treadle effected operation of the abutment 66 and the pincers 82, to apply pressure to the shoe upper in the vicinity of the tip line to hold it firmly clamped against the last prior to and during the lasting operation, that is, during the operation of the wiper I0 and the pincers 32, so as to prevent the combined action of the pincers and wipers or either of them from so pulling the upper longitudinally that it will bridge between the toe and the throat of the vamp. Once this bridging has occurred it is less eifective to press the upper against the last and difficult to apply sufficient tension to draw it down to the wood again. By the present invention, however, the upper is firmly clamped to the last prior to the operation of the pincers and wipers, or either of them, so that the upper has no opportunity to become bridged and hence, after lasting operation, the upper remains tightly against the last.

A pad H4 is arranged to be moved vertically against the toe portion of the upper, the initial portion of the movement of the treadle 32 being utilized to eifect this operation. The pad H4 is mounted on the lower end of a stem H6 which extends upwardly through a smooth sleeve I I8 (Fig. 2) and through a threaded sleeve I20 having a hexagonal head I22. The head I22 is cupped out to receive a collar I23 pinned to the upper end of the stem H6, the collar preventing the stem from moving downwardly through the threaded sleeve I20 and permitting it to move upwardly with respect thereto. The sleeve I20 is threaded into the upper end of a vertical bore in a member I24, the lower portion of said bore being occupied by the smooth sleeve H8. Between the lower end of the sleeve H8 and a collar I26 on the stem II 6 is a compression spring I28 the initial tension of which may be varied by moving the collar I26 up and down by hand, the collar being held in adjusted position by means of a set screw I 29 or similar device. The stem I I6 is prevented from rotating by a pin or screw I30 seated in the member I24 and extending through a slot I32 in the sleeve I I8 into a keyway formed in the stem I I6. It will be noted that by turning the head I22 the stem I I 6 may be adjusted bodily vertically to vary the initial position of the toe clamping pad H4 and that such adjustment does not aifect the initial tension of the spring I28. The member I24 is pivoted at I34 (Fig. 1) to an arm I36. The pivot I34 permits the clamp I I 4 to be swung outwardly when desired and permits its position longitudinally of the shoe to be varied by turning an adjusting screw I38 carried by the member I24 and arranged to engage a suitable abutment on the arm I36. Accidental movement of the member I24 about the pivot I34 is prevented by a spring plunger I40 (Fig. 4) which is mounted in the arm I36 in position to engage the member I24 frictionally to maintain it in adjusted position. The arm I36 is mounted for movement about a vertical axis on a vertically movable rack bar I42. A reduced portion I44 of the bar I42 extends through a vertical bore in the arm I36 upon which it is held by a nut I46. Above the nut is a further reduced cylindrical portion of the bar I42 which is guided in a suitable bearing formed in a bracket I48 forming part of the frame in which the rack bar I42 is mounted. The arm I36 is normally held in operative position by a spring plunger I49 (Fig. 4) an end of which engages a recess in the portion I44 of the bar I42 and the arm may be swung to one side about a vertical axis when use of the toe pad H4 is not desired.

As seen in Fig. 3, the rack bar I42 is normally maintained in elevated position by a spring I50 (Fig. 3) located, for the most part, in a vertical bore in the rack bar I42 with its lower end resting against a fixed part of the frame of the machine. The lower portion of the bore in which the rack bar I42 reciprocates is enlarged and the lower end of the rack bar is provided with flanges I52 to limit upward movement of the rack bar in response to the spring I50. The rack bar I42 isengaged by a pinion I54 fixed to a shaft I56 on which is an arm I58. Below the arm I58 is a rockshaft I60 having a short arm I62 carrying a roll I64 arranged to engage the arm I58 on the pinion shaft I56. Secured to the rockshaft I60 is a rearwardly extending arm I66. Connected to the rear end of the arm I66 is a downwardly extending rod I68 near the lower end of which is a notch adapted to engage a pin I10. The rod I68 is urged toward the pin by a torsion spring I1I arranged about the pivot of the rod I68 to the arm I66. The pin I is carried by a crooked lever I12 pivoted at 24 and having a forward extension through which is threaded a stop screw I14. The stop screw I14 so limits the angular movement of the lever I12 that the pin I10 cannot descend beyond the end of the rod I68 when it is released from the notch. A rearwardly and upwardly inclined treadle rod I16 is adjustably connected at its upper end to a head piece I18 which has a slot engaging a pin I80 on the lever I12. Upon depression of the treadle, therefore, the lever I12 will be moved counterclockwise and the pin I10 engagingthe notch in the rod I68 will pull downwardly on the arm I66, causing the roll I64 to press rearwardly on the arm I58 whereby the pinion I54 will be turned in a direction to lower the rack bar I42 and bring the clamping pad I I4 into operative position against the shoe.

In order to maintain the clamping pad H4 in engagement with the shoe during the operation of the wipers, there is provided a. locking mechanism comprising a rearwardly extending arm I82 of the rockshaft I60 which, after the rockshaft has turned to apply the clamp, is in position to catch under a latch plate I84 secured to a lever I86 pivoted at I88 to the bracket I48. The lower end of the lever I86 engages a contact screw I90 toward which it is urged by a tension spring I92 connected at one end to the lever and at the other end to the bracket I48. The screw I90 is carried by an arm I94 extending upwardly from a rockshaft I96 to which is secured an arm I98 carrying a roll 200 which lies against the periphery of the clutch disk I4 having the projection 83 by which the roll 80 for operating the wipers is actuated. Just before the second stop projection 34 reaches the stoparm 22, the projection 83 will engage the roll 200, thus turning the rockshaft I96 counterclockwise and causing the arm I94 to swing the lever I86 rearwardly and release the plate I84 from the arm I82, thus permitting the rack bar I42 to be raised by its spring I50 and hence the clamping pad H4 to be released from engagement with the shoe. This releasing of the clamping pad will occur, of course, after the projection 83 has actuated the wipers to advance and close them under the edge of the shoe bottom and after the final upward pressure has been applied to the shoe bottom by the straightening of the toggle 52, 54 by the action of the cam track I6, it being understood that, as in prior machines, there is a dwell in the upward movement of the work support during the advancing and closing movements of the wipers. In order that the clamping pad H4 may be released even if the operator holds the treadle 32 depressed, the wiper operating lever 16 is provided with a lug through which a screw 202 is threaded in position to engage a boss 204 on the rod I68 so that when the advancing and closing movement of the wipers is caused to occur by the projection 83 the screw 202 will push the rod I68 forwardly far enough to release it from the pin I10. Since this occurs prior to the actuation of the roll 200, the clamping pad II 4 will be free to be raised when the roll 200 is actuated. Excessive clockwise movement of the arm I66 when the pin I16 is released from the hook on the rod I68 is prevented by a stop screw 206 threaded through a forward extension 208 of the arm I66 and arranged to engage a fixed part of the machine. When the treadle is depressed a second time the parts will, of course, return to their initial positions.

It is to be understood that the machine is preferably duplex, only the left-hand side of the machine being shown herein. The right-hand side of the machine, however, is a duplicate of the mechanism shown and is operated by a clutch disk similar to I4 which, under control of another treadle, is clutched to the same gear 36 by which the disk I4 is driven.

Under some conditions it is desirable to maintain the toe-pressing pad I I4 in engagement with the shoe while the machine remains at rest with the outturned flange of the upper and the projecting margin of the sole under pressure between the support 40 and the wipers I and to relieve the pressure of the pad just prior to the starting of the machine the second time to cause it to pass through the second half of its cycle and release the pressure upon the flange of the shoe. A modified construction for this purpose is disclosed in Fig. 5. In this construction the pad H4, the spring I28, the sleeve I20, the member I24 pivoted to the arm I36, the rack bar I42, the pinion I54 and associated parts may be the same as in the construction already described. On the shaft I55 of the pinion I54 is an arm 300 carrying a roll 362. A cam member 304 is pivoted on a shaft 365 below the shaft I56 and is located between two threaded lugs 308, 3 I0 formed on a lever 3I2 also pivoted on the shaft 306 and having a forward projection 3I4 carrying a stop screw to limit its clockwise movement. Adjusting screws threaded through the lugs 308, 3I0 engage the cam member 304 and serve as means for adjusting the cam member relatively to the lever 3I2. Pivoted at 3E6 to the lever M2 is a bar or rod 3I3 having near its lower end a hook to engage a pin 320 carried by a lever 322 similar to the lever I12 previously described. The lever 322 has slotted ears spaced to receive the bifurcated forward end of a lever 324 pivoted at 326 to the machine frame and connected by a rod 326 to the treadle 32. A pin 330 passes through the slotted ears on the lever 322, through the bifurcated end of the lever 324, and through the lower end of a link 332 the upper end of which is connected by a link 334 to the upper arm of a lever 336 pivoted at 338 the lower arm of which carries a screw 340 engaging the bar 3I8. Fulcruned at 342 to a bracket 344 is a lever 346 which at its rear end is connected at 34'! to the lower end of a link 346 the upper end of which is pivoted to the lever 3I2 at 3I6. The pivot 338 of the lever 336 is on a rearward extension of the bracket 344 and a torsion spring 350 tends to turn the lever 336 in a clockwise direction, thus urging the bar 3I8 toward the pin 320. On the forward end of the lever 346 is a pin 352 which cooperates with a hook-like recess 354 in the link 332. The forward end of the link 334 is slotted longitudinally and connected by a pin 356 to the upper end of the link 332, the pin being maintained at the rear end of the slot by a tension spring 368 connected between the pin 356 and the lever 336. The wiper lever I6 is provided with a lug 360 through which is threaded a screw 362 in position to engage the bar 3I8 when the wipers are operated and to swing the bar forwardly to disengage it from the pin 320. As the bar 3 I8 swings rearwardly it presses on the screw 340 in the lower arm of the lever 336 and swings the lever counterclockwise. The action of the mechanism may now best be explained by starting at the beginning with the depression of the treadle.

As in the first-described construction, depression of the treadle 32 acts through the treadle rod 84 to bring the abutment 66 against the shoe and to operate the lever 86 to bring the pincers into operative position. This occurs during the motion of the pin 330 in the slotted ears of the lever 322 without moving the lever. Further depression of the treadle then swings the lever 322 to operate the toe presser I I4, this motion occurring of course before the tripping of the clutch to start the machine. As the lever 322 is swung counterclockwise by the motion of the treadle, the pin 320 pulls downwardly on the bar 3I8, causing the lever 3l2 to turn counterclockwise about its pivot 306 and the cam member 304 to engage the roll 302 of the arm 330, thus moving the arm 300 in a clockwise direction to operate the pinion I54 and depress the rack bar I42 to press the pad II4 upon the shoe, the spring I26 of course yielding if necessary to permit such movement of the rack bar. Of course, When the flat top face of the cam member 364 moves under the roll 330, the presser becomes locked in operative position and a reverse movement of the lever 3I2 is required to release it. During the counterclockwise movement of the lever 3I2 the link 348 swings the lever 346 in a counterclockwise direction about its pivot 342, causing its forward end carrying the pin 352 to assume the dotted line position shown in which the pin 352 is opposite the upper portion of the link 332 which, during depression of the treadle, has moved downwardly, the recess 354 being then of course below the pin 352. When the operator releases the treadle the link 332 will move upwardly, bringing the recess 354 above the pin 352 and, when the wiper lever is operated, the screw 362 will swing the bar 3H3 forwardly, engaging the screw 346 and swinging the lever 336 in a counterclockwise direction, causing the link 332 to swing rearwardly and bring the recess 354 over the pin 352, the machine stopping with the parts in this position. When the treadle is depressed the second time to cause it to complete its cycle and release the shoe, the link 332 will pull downwardly on the pin 352, turning the lever 346 in a clockwise direction, thereby pushing upwardly on the link 348 and effecting clockwise movement of the lever 3l2 to release the cam 304 from the roll 362, thus allowing the spring I56 to react to lift the toe pad I I4 away from the shoe.

Should the operator fail to release the treadle prior to the action of the wipers in the first half cycle of the machine, the movement of the lever 335 effected by the wiper lever I6 would merely pull the link 332 against the pin 352, the spring 358 then being stretched to permit completion of the movement of the lever 336. Upon release of of the treadle after the machine stops, the link 332 will move upward and the recess 354 will be swung into position over the pin 352 by the tension of the spring 358 ready for operation as described upon the second depression of the treadle.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for shaping the end portion of a stitchdown shoe to its last, the combination of end-embracing means, a shoe support to receive the shoe and last and to support the shoe sole including its projecting marginal portion, means for effecting relative movement of the endembracing means and the shoe support heightwise of the shoe to shape the upper about the last and press its marginal portion against the projecting margin of the sole, and means for pressing the upper against the last in the vicinity of the tip line before the relative movement between the end-embracing means and the shoe support begins.

2. In a machine for shaping the end portion of a stitchdown shoe to its last, the combination of end-embracing means, a shoe support to receive the sole of a shoe, means for effecting relative movement between the end-embracing means and the shoe support heightwise of the shoe to shape the upper of the shoe heightwise of the last, and means operating prior to said relative movement and cooperating with the shoe support to press the upper against the last between the toe and the throat of the vamp to prevent bridging of the upper between those points due to the forward pull produced by the action of the end-embracing means.

.3. In a machine for lasting the toe portion of a stitchdown shoe, the combination of end-embracing wipers, a shoe support constructed and arranged to receive the bottom of a shoe presented right side up to the wipers and to support the sole of the shoe including the projecting margin of the sole, pincers located beneath the wipers in position to engage the margin of the upper, poweroperated means for closing the pincers and relatively operating the wipers and the shoe support to tension the upper, a treadle for controlling said power operation, and means operated by the treadle for pressing the upper against the forepart of the last whereby movement of the upper relatively to the last is prevented during the action of the pincers and wipers in lasting the upper.

4. In a machine for lasting the toe portion of a stitchdown shoe, the combination of end-embracing wipers, a shoe support constructed and arranged to receive the bottom of a shoe presented right side up to the wipers and to support the sole of the shoe including the projecting margin of the sole, power-operated means for relatively operating the wipers and the shoe support to tension the upper, a treadle for controlling said power operation, and means operated by the treadle for pressing the upper against the last whereby movement of the upper relatively to the last is prevented during the action of the wipers in lasting the upper.

5. In a machine for shaping the end portion of a stitchdown shoe to its last, the combination of end-embracing means, a shoe support to receive the shoe and last and to support the shoe sole including its projecting marginal portion, means for efiecting relative movement of the end-embracing means and the shoe support heightwise of the shoe to shape the upper about the last and press its marginal portion against the projecting margin of the sole, means for pressing the upper against the last in the vicinity of the tip line before the relative movement between the end-embracing means and the shoe support begins, and means for releasing the pressing means after said relative movement has ceased.

6. In a machine for shaping the end portion of a stitchdown shoe to its last, the combination of end-embracing means, a shoe support to receive the sole of a shoe, means for effecting relative movement between the end-embracing means and the shoe support heightwise of the shoe to shape the upper of the shoe heightwise of the last, manually operated means operating prior to said relative movement and cooperating with the shoe support to press the upper against the last between the toe and the throat of the vamp to prevent bridging of the upper between those points due to the forward pull produced by the action of the end-embracing means, and means operating automatically after said relative movement has been substantially completed to release the pressing means.

'7. In a machine for shaping the end portion of a stitchdown shoe to its last, the combination of end-embracing means, a shoe support to receive the shoe and last and to support the shoe sole including its projecting marginal portion, means for effecting relative movement of the end-embracing means and the shoe support heightwise of the shoe to shape the upper about the last and press its marginal portion against the projecting margin of the sole, a pad for pressing the upper against the last in the vicinity of the tip line, a spring opposing movement of the pad away from the shoe, means for varying the initial tension of the spring, means for bodily adjusting the pad and spring toward and from the shoe while the initial tension of the spring is maintained, and means for operating the pad to force it against the shoe and place the spring under tension, said means acting subsequently to cause the relative movement heightwise of the shoe between the wipers and the support to occur.

8. In a machine for lasting the toe portion of a stitchdown shoe, the combination of a shoe support constructed and arranged to receive the bottom of a shoe and to support the shoe including the projecting margin of the sole, pincers located in position to engage the margin of the upper, power-operated means for closing the pincers and for relatively operating the pincers and the shoe support to tension the upper, manually operated means for controlling said power operation, and means operated by said manual means prior to the initiation of said power operation for pressing the upper against the forepart of the last to prevent relative movement between the upper and the last during the action of the pincers.

JOSEPH CLIFFORD CANTLEY. 

